Countershaft brake



w. F. GROENE.

COUNTERSHAFT BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. I920.

Patented May 16, 1922.

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jziyezz 2 017 w. F. GROENE .COUNTERSHAFT BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10] 1920.

1,416,016, Patented May16,1922.

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L U i P. $0 b o l i orrlce,

WILLIAM F. GROENE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNGR TO THE LE BLONIDv MACHINE TOOL COMIEAIIY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIG, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

connrnnsnarr BRAKE.

raise-is.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, YVILLIAM F. GRonNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, "and State of Ohio, have invented an Improvement in Countershaft Brakes, of which the follow ing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to countershafts and more particularly to means for promptly bringing a countershaft to rest as it is released from the means for driving the same.

Countershafts are used very extensively in shops, mills, and factories, for driving different machinery, and they are commonly provided with cone pulleys as azconvenient means for operating a machine therefrom at different speeds.

These countershafts are usually relatively heavy, and since they often have one or more driving pulleys secured thereto in addition to the usual cone pulley, they possess considerable momentum when driven rapidly, and asa result do not come promptly to rest when releasedfrom the driving means. The rotation of the countershaft after it has been released from the driving means is objectionable because the attendant for the machine operated from the countel-shaft is usually required to stand idle until the countershaft, and machine driven thereby, come to rest, and since many machines driven from countershafts are required to be stopped at frequent intervals,

considerable time is wasted by the failure of the machines to come promptly to rest. Furthermore, accidents, more or less serious, often occur through the inability of the operator to stop the machine quickly.

An important feature of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a countershaft with brake means constructed to promptly check the rotation of the countershaft upon the samebeing released from its driving means; and to construct the brake mechanism so that it will be automatically brought into operation as the countershaft is released from its driving means. A

These countershafts are commonly suspended by means of brackets from beams and the like of a building, at some distance above the machine to be driven, and since it Application filed June 10, 1920. Serial No. 387,862.

Specification of Letters E ateln t. Paje ented May 16, .1922.

is important that the countershaft be prep- 1 :erly positioned relative to the machine, to be driven therefrom,it is customary to provide means by which the bearings of the countershaft may be adjusted.

"Another important feature'of the invention, therefore,is to so construct the brake mechanism thatit will not obstructor interfere with the adjustment of the countershaft bearings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a good, practical form of the invention, the details of which may be modified within the scope thereof, as defined by the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is :an'en'd elevation of a countershaft embodying the features of the invention and showing the parts in the brake applying position;

Fig; 2 is a fragmentary front View of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow X;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of the shifter rod; and

Fig; etis a sectional view taken on the line l l of Fig; 1 showing the parts in the runningposition.

In the present embodiment of the invention, a countershaft 10 of the usual or any preferred construction is shown as supported in a suspended position 'by the brackets 11 and 12 adapted to be secured to the face of a beam orother surface (not shown) by bolts 13. The countershaft 1O may be provided vwith the usual cone pulley 141 and may be rotatably mounted in bearings 15 adjustably supported by the brackets 11 and 12. In the embodiment of the invention shown, the bearings 15 are supported for adjustment both vertically and laterally, and this is accomplished by providing a yoke'16 having a space therein sufliciently large to loosely receive the bearing 15.

The bearing ispivota'lly supported within the yoke by the oppositely spaced bolts 17 having their inner ends 18 extending into sockets formed in the bearing. These bolts have threaded engagement with the yoke 16 and maybe adjusted to adjust the bearing laterally withinthe yoke. The bolts 17 are provided with the sleeve like lock nuts 19, the inner ends of which abut against the outer face of the yoke 16. To providemeans vertically, the yokes 16 arerockingly supported within the brackets 11 and 12 by vertically adjustable bolts 20, one of which has threaded engagement with the bracket below the'yoke 16 and the other has threaded engagement with the bracket above the yoke, and the inner ends 21 of these bolts are received in sockets within the yokes. The bolts 20 may be locked in the desired position of adjustment by lock nuts 22, and the brackets 11 and 12 may be provided with theclearance openings 23 to loosely receive the bolts 17 and the locking sleeves 19 thereon.

.1 The countershaft 10 may be driven from a suitable source of power by any suitable or preferred means, and in the embodiment of the invention illustrated two belt pulleys 24 and25 are shown as loosely mounted upon the countershaft and adapted to be connected to the countershaft to drive the same by a clutch member 26 movable in one direction to secure one pulley to the countershaft and movable in the opposite direction to secure the. other pulley to the countershaft. The clutch member 26 may be of any suitable or preferred construction or, if desired, the loose pulleys and cooperating clutch member 26 may be replaced by the well-known fast and loose pulleys, in which case the countershaft may be driven by simply shifting a driving belt from the loose to the fast pulley. The clutch member 26 may be shifted in a wellknown manner from an intermediate posh tion between the pulleys 24:, 25, into clutching engagement with either ofthe pulleys by a shifter rod 27 slidably mounted in arms 28 carried by the brackets 11. 12. The shifter rod 27 is operatively secured to the clutch member by the usual arm 29 bolted to the shifter rod and having its inner end extending into a groove 2G in the clutch member 26, and this rod may be manually shifted to the desired position through any suitable means (not shown).

As above stated, an important feature of v the invention is to provide means for quickly bringing the countershaft to rest after the same has been released from the driving means, and a good form of meansto this end will now be described. The countershaft 10 has a brake drum 3() rigidly secured thereto adjacent one of the brackets, and this brake drum may be fastened to the countershaft by providing the former with a hub 31 having i a pin 32 extending through the hub and a portion of the countershaft. About the brake drum is placed a flexible brake band 32 having a suitable drum engaging surface. The brake band in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, is formed of flexible sheet metal and has one end 34 secured to an arm 35 of the pivoted lever 36, while the other end of the brake band is adjustably secured by means of bolt 37 to a second arm 38 of the lever36. The lever 36 is pivotally mounted upon one of the arms28 by a bolt 39, the operation of the lever 36 being such that when it is moved in one direction the brake band 33 is moved out of frictional engagement with the brake drum and when the brake band is moved in the opposite direction it is tightly applied about the brake drum.

The brake mechanism should be operated so that the brake band will be released during the rotation of the countershaft, but will be applied to the brake drum the instant the countershaft is released from its driving means. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, this is satisfactorily accomplished by providing the pivoted lever 36 with an arm positioned to engage the shifterrod 27, and the shifter rod is provided with spaced notches 11 separated by a raised portion 12, and an inclined shoulder or cam surface 4-3 is provided between each notch and'the. raised portion, as best shown in Fig. 3. The notches 41 are so positioned that when the shifter rod is moved to engage the clutch member 26 with one of the pulleys 2 1, 25, the arm 40 of the pivoted lever will rest in one of the notches 41 with the brake band controlled thereby, released about the brake drum, and when the shifter rod is moved to engage the clutch member with the other pulley, the arm 40 will rest in the other notch 41, but when the shifter, rod is moved to its intermediate position, the raised portion 42. of this rod. will engage the arm 4:0 and move the lever 36sufliciently to draw the brake hand tightly about the brake drum. In this manner the brake mechanism is ver v satisfactorily operated from the shifter rod.

It should be noted that since a flexible brake band is provided about the brake drum, and since the ends of the band are positioned to one side of the brake drum in spaced relation thereto, the shaft bearing- 15 may be freely adjusted without appreciably disturbing the adjustment of the brake mechanism. Furthermore, as the brake band becomes slack from wear or other causeai the necessary adjustment may be readily made-by adjusting the nuts upon the bolt 37. A

Claims:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a coun't-ershaft, brackets for rotatably supporting the countershaft, a brake drum secured. to the countershaft, a brake band for said drum, spaced independent pulleys for driving the countershaft, a shifter rod slidably supported to move parallel to the countershaft, means operable by the movement of the shifter rod in one direction to effect drivin of the countershaft from oneof said pulleys and movable in the opposite direction-to effect driving of the countershaft from the other pulley, and means operable by the movement of this shifter rod. to an intermediate position for, tightening said brake band against the brake drum. i

In a device of the class described, in combinatiomacountershaft, means for rotatably supportingthe same, a brake drum secured to the countershaft, a brake. and a lever for tightening the brake against the brake drum, spaced independent means for driving said countershaft a shifter rod movable in one direction to effect driving of the countershaft from one of the spaced means and movable in another direction to effect driving of the countershaft from the other spaced means, said shifter rod provided Witha portion positioned to engage said lever and move the same to tighten the brake against the brake drum as the shifter rod is moved to release the countershaft from either driving means; s

In a device of the class described, in combination, a countershaft, means for rotatably supporting the same, a brake drum secured to the countershaft, a brake and a lever for tightening the brake against the brake drum, spaced. independent pulleys for driving the countershaft, and a shifter rod slidably supported adjacent the countershaft, means movable by the shifter rod in one direction from a normally inactive position to drive the countershaft from one of the pulleys and movable by the shifter rod in the opposite direction from the normally inac-- tive position to drivethe countershaft from the other pulley, said shifter rod provided with a portion positioned to hold said lever in the brake tightening position only While the shifter rod is in the intermediate positon.

4c. In a device of the class described, in combination, a countershaft, means for rotatably supporting the same, a brake drum secured to the countershaft, a brake and a lever for tighteningthe brake on the brake drum, spaced independent pulleys for driving the countershaft, a shifter rod slidably supported adjacent the countershaft, means movable by the shifter rod in one direction from a normally inactive position to drive the countershaft from one of the pulleys and movable by the shifter rod in the opposite direction from the normally inactive position to drive the countershaft from the other pulley, said shifter rod provided With depressed surfaces separated by a raised portion, and said lever positioned to be oper ated by the raised portion of the shifter rod to tighten the brake as the shifter rod is moved in either direction to the intermediate position. v

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of countershaft and driving means therefor, hangers for supporting the conntershaft, a shifter rod supported for sliding movement endwise in the hangers and having .tWo recesses separated by a raised portion,a brake drum on the countershaft, a flexible brake band engaging'the brake drum, a three armed lever pivotally supported opposite the brake drum and having two .of its connected to opposite ends of the brake band to positively more and pull both ends of the brake band when the lever is pivotally turned in one direction andto move both ends of the bra-lie band in the opposite direction When the lever is turned in the other direction, and the. third arm of the lever having a portion bearing upon the shifter rod and adapted to be positioned by a recessed and a raised portion of r the shifter rod as the latter is moved longitudina lly.

6; In a device of the class described, in combination, a countershaft, means for rotatabl I su )ortin the same, a brake drum the driving means, and a cam surface upon' the shifter rod for controlling the operation of said lever.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a countershaft, brackets for 'rotatably supporting the countershaft, a brake drum secured to the countershaft, a brake band embracing said drum, two different'means for driving the countershaft, a shifter rod supported alongside the counter shaft and movable in the direction of its length, means operable upon movement of the shifter rod in one direction to effect driving of the countershaft from one of said driving means and operable upon movement of the shifter rod in the opposite direction to effect driving of the countershaft from the other of said driving means, and mechanism controlled by the shifter rod when moving J to an intermediate position to tightenthe brake band on the brake drum.

8. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a countershaft, brackets for rotatably' supporting the countershaft, a

brake drum secured to the countershaft, a

F tion of its length, means operable upon movement of the shifter rod in one direction to efiect driving of the countershatt from said driving means, and a cam surface upon the shifter rod operable upon movement of the shift rod in the opposite direction to operate the rocking lever to tighten the brake band about the brake drum.

10. In a device of the class described, in combination a eountershaft having a supporting bearing, a bracket adapted to support the bearing for adjustment in diiierent planes, a brake drum secured to the countershai t, a brake band of flexible sheet metal "no the drum and having the ends there i extending from the drum and held in spaced relation thereto that the portion of the band embracing the drum may move relatively to its ends upon adjustment of the cotmtershaft, driving means for the countershaft a shifter rod operable upon movement in one direction to "effect rotation of the countershatt from the driving means, and means operable by the shifter rod upon movement in the opposite direction to tighten the brake band about the brake drum. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM F. GROENE. 

